U.S. patent application number 10/454136 was filed with the patent office on 2004-12-09 for method for displaying and marketing alcoholic beverages.
Invention is credited to Berish, Brett R., Berish, Brian E..
Application Number | 20040245792 10/454136 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 33489671 |
Filed Date | 2004-12-09 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040245792 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Berish, Brian E. ; et
al. |
December 9, 2004 |
Method for displaying and marketing alcoholic beverages
Abstract
The invention includes an apparatus for marketing, displaying,
measuring, or mixing bottled alcoholic beverages in bars,
restaurants, and other places that sell alcoholic beverages. The
invention enables visual examination of bottles that have caps with
a hole for purposes of display by freely hanging from hooks. The
invention provides the ability to display bottled alcoholic
beverages, recipe cards, and promotional materials in an upright,
hanging fashion on displays. In a bar or restaurant, the invention
provides the ability to transport many different alcoholic
beverages directly to the countertop or table that enables the
beverage to be displayed for purchase or mixing with a number of
other drinks. For the purposes of displaying the alcoholic
beverages, the invention includes a base, a frame, and wire racks
having hooks. The hooks are used for hanging bottled alcoholic
beverages, recipe cards, and promotional materials.
Inventors: |
Berish, Brian E.; (Chicago,
IL) ; Berish, Brett R.; (New York, NY) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Alter and Weiss
Suite 1650
19 South LaSalle Street
Chicago
IL
60603
US
|
Family ID: |
33489671 |
Appl. No.: |
10/454136 |
Filed: |
June 4, 2003 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
294/143 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A45F 3/16 20130101; A45F
5/102 20130101; A45F 2005/1086 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
294/143 |
International
Class: |
A45F 005/00 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1-13. (Canceled)
14. A display for hanging bottles, promotional and sales materials
on display, the display comprising; a base; a handle encased by a
plastic shell; a frame adapted for displaying said hanging bottles
in a visible manner and formed in the shape of said hanging bottles
where said frame has a curvature at its center point causing
sections of said frame on either side of the curvature to be
positioned parallel to one another and acting as support members
and said base is connected to each end of the support members to
opposite sides of the base to cause said frame to be supported in
an upright position; racks adapted for supporting said hanging
bottles in a visible manner, said frame and said racks being
constructed of a metal material and said racks being fixedly
connected within said frame to enable a plurality of bottles,
including bottle caps with a hole, found in each one, for purposes
of display by freely hanging from hooks, without coming into
contact with another bottle, or the frame or the base, and wherein
said hooks are fixedly connected to said racks in an outwardly
facing direction at distances along the racks to enable a plurality
of bottles, recipes and/or promotional materials to hang vertically
from said hooks.
15. A display as set forth in claim 14, wherein said plastic shell
has a shape of a bottle cap with a carrying hole in the upper
portion of the shell to enable one to securely transport said
display with at least one finger.
16. A display as set forth in claim 14, wherein the display can be
used for training and explaining the proper manner of presenting
the display to consumers.
17. A display as set forth in claim 14, wherein the display can be
used for mixing by the consumer by selecting the desired bottled
alcoholic beverage from the display and mixing with the desired
amount of mix for purposes of drinking.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a device and method for
supporting and transporting bottled alcoholic beverages and for
marketing and providing bottled alcoholic beverages.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Previously, bottled alcoholic beverages have been displayed
in bars, restaurants, liquor stores, convenience stores and grocery
stores on long shelves along side numerous other brands. Each
individual brand is not customarily displayed together on one
upright display in a hanging fashion. Furthermore, prior displays
are not known to include a display device in the shape of the
bottles hanging from it along with recipe cards and promotional
materials also for hanging from the display. Previously it was not
known to market a set of bottled alcoholic beverages and a display
device together with drink-specific recipe cards and promotional
materials.
[0003] Previously, in a bar or restaurant bottled alcoholic
beverages have not been displayed on a device which may be
transported directly to the countertop or table where the customer
is located. Previously, customers had to request the type of mixed
drink they would like and wait for the server or bartender to
prepare it for them. Those pre-mixed drinks are not normally
prepared according to the consumers' desired taste rather according
to the preference of the server or bartender. Although, individual
bottles of alcoholic beverages are sometimes brought to a customers
table allowing them to pour or mix their own drinks, it was not
previously known to provide a display with a plurality of alcoholic
beverage bottles hanging from it for the consumers' individual
selection and mixing.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] The present invention provides a device for displaying
bottled alcoholic beverages. The display includes a frame supported
by a base wherein the frame is upright and preferably shaped like a
bottle with wire racks. Hooks are distributed along the wire rack
and used for supporting the plurality of provided bottled alcoholic
beverages as well as recipes and promotional materials. The
provided bottled alcoholic beverage caps have holes in them such
that they fit over a hook. Once the provided bottled alcoholic
beverages are placed on the hooks, consumers who are close by are
able to easily see and choose from a plurality of bottles at
once.
[0005] The Applicant has further created a unique and useful method
of marketing which includes packaging and providing a plurality of
bottled alcoholic beverages, recipes, promotional and sales
materials and an upright display device. The display can be a
bottle shaped structure having circular racks and hooks around each
rack for hanging the bottled alcoholic beverages. The provided
bottled alcoholic beverages have specially designed caps with holes
in the center for hanging on the hooks around each rack. When the
bottled alcoholic beverages, recipes and promotional materials are
placed around the racks they are visible to the user for selecting
and drink preparation. Once the bottled alcoholic beverages and
promotional materials are placed around the racks, the display may
be placed on a table or countertop in a bar or restaurant. In
addition to the bottled alcoholic beverages provided on the
display, non-alcoholic diluting bottled beverages as well as
glasses are provided and placed next to the display. The user may
select individual bottles off the rack for mixing with the provided
non-alcoholic diluting bottled beverage according to provided
recipes to create a mixed drink of desired taste.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] The foregoing objects, advantages, and features, as well as
other objects and advantages, will become more apparent with
reference to the description, claims and drawings below, in which
like numerals represent like elements and in which:
[0007] FIG. 1 is a pictorial view of the display showing a
plurality of bottles fixedly associated with individual hooks
wherein the display is being manually transported.
[0008] FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the display showing a
recipe card and a plurality of bottles fixedly associated with
individual hooks where one of the bottles is being manually lifted
from one of the hooks.
[0009] FIG. 3 is a side elevational view showing the mixing of a
drink by pouring two provided beverages into a glass.
[0010] FIG. 4 is a side elevatioanls view of the display showing a
recipe card and a plurality of bottles associated with individual
hooks.
[0011] FIG. 5 is a schematic flow diagram of a method of marketing
whereby a display is provided as well as bottled alcoholic
beverages, recipes and promotional materials for hanging on the
display are provided.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0012] FIG. 1 shows a pictorial view of the display 10 constructed
of a supporting material, such as metal. The display is defined by
a frame 12, base 20, supporting means 22a, b, wire racks 14a, b,
hooks 16a, b and handle 18. The frame 12 is attached to the base 20
on both ends of the supporting means 22 so that the frame 12 stands
in an upright position. The wire racks 14 are connected to the
supporting means 24 on each side. The wire racks 14a, b are
attached to each supporting means 22a, b on opposite sides of the
wire rack 14a, b. Hooks 16a are attached and evenly distributed
around each of the wire racks 14a, b. The hooks 16a are arranged in
an outwardly facing direction and parallel to the base so that
bottled alcoholic beverages 28 can hang from them. Furthermore, the
wire racks 14a, b are positioned horizontally and far enough apart
to allow the hanging of bottled alcoholic beverages 28 without them
coming into contact with one another or the frame 10. There is also
preferably a large hook 16b attached to the upper most wire rack
14a for use in hanging recipes 26 and other promotional and sales
materials. The display 10 is shown with six bottled alcoholic
beverages 28 hanging between the two racks 14a, b. As is seen from
FIG. 1, the bottled alcoholic beverages 28 are supported by the
small hooks 16a through a hole in the cap of the bottled alcoholic
beverages 28. Each bottled alcoholic beverages 28 is evenly spaced
such that it does not come into contact with any other bottle or
any part of the frame 12. The handle 18 of a wire material similar
to the frame 12 and racks 16a, b is attached to the top of the
frame 12. A plastic shell 24 preferably in the shape of a bottle
cap encases the handle 18. A hole 19 large enough for at least one
finger to fit through is cut out of the upper portion of the
plastic shell, creating a secure means for carrying the display
10.
[0013] FIG. 2 and FIG. 4 show a side view of the display 10 with
four bottled alcoholic beverages 28 hanging from the same number of
hooks 16a and a recipe card 26 hanging from the large hook 16b.
FIG. 2 further depicts one of the hanging bottled alcoholic
beverages 28 being manually lifted from the display 10. The
provided recipe card 26 may be used to measure the appropriate
amount of bottled alcoholic beverage 28 and diluting non-alcoholic
beverage 29 to be used in making a mixed drink 30 of the desired
taste. Furthermore, the large hook 16b may also be used for the
purposes of hanging promotional and sales materials.
[0014] FIG. 3 shows one of the bottled alcoholic beverages 28 being
poured along with a diluting non-alcoholic beverage 29 into a glass
32 for the purposes of making a mixed drink 30. Although, FIG. 3
depicts the beverages being poured directly from the bottle, other
measuring means may be used to determine the desired amounts of the
bottled alcoholic beverage 28 and diluting non-alcoholic beverage
29 before pouring into the glass 32.
[0015] FIG. 5 is a schematic flow diagram of a method of doing
business for providing a display, a plurality of bottled alcoholic
beverages, recipes and promotional materials. It is seen that this
method of marketing includes the step of the supplier preparing
bottled alcoholic beverages, displays, recipes and promotional
materials, selling and setting up delivery to distributors
schematically depicted as step 40 in the flow diagram FIG. 5. The
step of selling, of course, entails the corresponding receipt of
value to the seller. Furthermore, where the bottled alcoholic
beverages, recipes and promotional materials are depleted at the
point of sale step 40 may also include the process of reselling the
depleted items. Examples of some of the recipes that could be
provided are "3 Some" and "3 Cosmo". Examples of some of the
promotional materials that could be provided are materials
describing reviews on the bottled alcoholic beverages, descriptions
of product history, suggestions for use and consumption as well as
locations where the product may be purchased. Step 42 depicts the
process of delivering the same materials
* * * * *